Culture in China

The dictionary defines culture as the arts, beliefs, customs, institutions
and all other product of human work and thought created by a people or group.
Chinese culture is rich in all of these, and it dates back thousands of years.

Long gone are the days of traditional Chinese dress. This is reserved largely
for celebrations, tourists and other special events. While bringing some
Chinese guests on a tour of American schools, we could only chuckle when
one child asked what people wore in China. One of the visitors dressed in
casual attire told the class they were looking at the type of clothes worn
every day. He also went on to say that jeans were as common as anywhere else
in the world.

In the typical wedding in China, the bride will wear a white bridal gown
the same as is worn in weddings in the western world.

Business attire is similar to that worn anywhere in the industrialized world
for a given trade. Business suits for marketing sales and banking, while
dockers and shirts without ties are appropriate for factory professionals
all the way to the factory manager. Laborers, however, will usually
wear a uniform.

Color preference: You will notice a difference in colors. The Chinese have
a preferences for browns, beige(or tan) and yellows. Black is a very popular
color, especially in women's dress and apparel. Bright red is also a popular
color for special events, holidays and ceremonial events. Grays are also
common. School children's uniforms are brightly colored with white, blue
and greens being common.

A tourist may find few people wear shorts, especially the men.

The ruggedness and dust in many parts of the country should encourage you
to select more casual and durable wear. Because of this reason, you
may opt to bring some of the older clothing in your wardrobe.

When I think of cultural differences, the most important thing that comes
to mind is the Chinese concept of "Face".

In the PRC, face has to do with the image or credibility of the person you
are dealing with. You should never, insult, embarrass, shame, yell
at or otherwise demean a person. If you do, they will lose "Face". In ancient
times, a Chinese warrior chief, after losing a battle, may commit suicide
because he has lost face. While this may no longer occur, the concept of
"face" remains alive and well in China. Awareness of face and it's impact
is an extremely important cultural issue.

In the business world, negotiations should be conducted to assure that the
person at the other end of the table maintains face even if the deal should
not successfully conclude. His "face" may be dependent upon his ability to
conclude the deal. If not, he saves "face" if he is the one to bring
the negotiations to closure in a manner that he will look best to his superiors,
yet not impact you.

Face shows up in many ways and really begins early in life. Chinese children
learn it as they are growing up. Parents will not discipline by saying "bad
girl" or "Naughty boy". They will discipline with "No" or "wrong".

As the child grows, face creates a strong pressure for an individual
to excel. Failure to gain admittance to college, or even enter the better
colleges, results in a higher rate of suicide as the child has lost face
and sometimes cannot cope with the perceived shame.

Face has a significant business impact. For example, it may be difficult
to solicit ideas or obtain survey results. This author has tried a few surveys,
both written and verbal. You can always get positive responses, but obtaining
critique where subject matter or content needs improvement produces blank
pieces of paper and blank stares. For example, if you are teaching a course
and the material did not answer a questions, the survey respondents will
not tell you what you need to know. While you are looking for an improvement
opportunity, they are afraid you would lose face.

Because this is such an important issue, you need to train yourself to recognize
where this can become an issue, and to avoid having your contact lose face.

The growth and spread of international companies is changing the face of
the planet. As exhibited by the two major food chains(pictured above) found
side by side in downtown Shanghai. As we move into the future, we will see
more commonality in food, clothing, architecture, and a wide range of cultural
aspects. Even in music, while the words may speak the local language, the
background music and instrumentation is becoming less culturally distinct.

The traditional vision of family life in China is one of a strong family
unit led be the father and husband, who largely has absolute rule and control
of the family. Religion plays a major part in defining the roles and
responsibilities of family members. Confucianism taught social order and
behavior. This control also extended to selection of marriage partners, which
was often arranged for the children.

Much has changed today in the family make-up. The father still remains the
strong family leader and decision maker. At a minimum, he influences the
major decisions of the children. But, normally he no longer exerts absolute
control. The father no longer arranges the marriage, although this still
exists in some of the most traditional families and in less developed areas.
Children select their career fields, again strongly influenced by the father.

Dating
does not usually begin until the early twenties. Typically,
young adults will date just a few people, perhaps only one,
before choosing a partner. The average age for marriage is 25 to 30 year
old. The bride will usually wear a long white wedding gown . The bride will
not change her name. As in any country, there are strong traditions around
the entire process, from selecting partners to proposing to planning the
wedding to the wedding itself.
Chinese
Wedding Customs is an outstanding guide to the process from start to
finish.

Children typically live with the parents until marriage. After a brief honeymoon,
the newlyweds will move into an apartment. But, it is not uncommon for newly
married couples to remain in one of the parents' homes for a short period
after the marriage. The newly married couple then move into a small apartment
with one or two bedrooms, a bath and cooking/living room.

The couple are allowed by Chinese law one child. There are exceptions to
the one child rule, the most common being minority groups, and in areas where
there is labor shortage(rural areas and farms).

Migration to other cities in China is almost non-existent. Most couples will
set up their home in the same neighborhood as their parents. The average
housing consists of an apartment with one or two bedrooms. In larger cities,
especially where more affluence exists, there will be a bathroom in the
apartment. The apartment will also contain a cooking area and living area
combined, relatively small in size. According to the
Chinese Embassy,
the average rural living space has increased from 8.1 square meters in 1978
to 20.5 square meters today.

Apartment prices in major cities, will range from 200 hundred thousand to
five hundred thousand RMB($25,000 - $60,00 USD). The lower rate being a unit
outside the city and the higher amounts in the center of the city.

As for appliances, here is a general look at what the average home has. In
general, appliances are sparse. Clothes dryers for example are almost
non-existent. You will find clothes hung out windows of apartments anywhere
you go. (Note conditions may vary significantly in different parts of the
country when comparing city to city or rural to rural conditions):

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